When 16-year-old Phylicia Barnes disappeared in Baltimore, Maryland, over the Christmas period of 2010, many referred to the case as Baltimore’s Natalee Holloway case but the stark difference in media coverage between the two was overwhelming. The difference was that Natalee was white and Phylicia was African American.

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It’s a sad fact that there is a clear pattern when it comes to the media. Too often, they more intensively cover the disappearances or abductions of young white women, even more so if they are in the upper middle class or of a higher social status. But crime does not discriminate. Anybody can become a victim, regardless of race, wealth or social status. When 16-year-old Phylicia Barnes disappeared in Baltimore, Maryland, over the Christmas period of 2010, many referred to the case as Baltimore’s Natalee Holloway case but the stark difference in media coverage between the two was overwhelming. The difference was that Natalee was white and Phylicia was African American.